


Bechloe AU: The Fall of SHIELD

by littlesolo



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-02-28 10:20:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13269408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesolo/pseuds/littlesolo
Summary: Takes place during the Winter Soldier---When HYDRA attacks Beca and Chloe are separated.  Chloe comes dangerously close to capture.  Beca is stunned by the number of traitors that surround her and Chloe rallies the allies they can.  Both experience casualties but manage to escape.  All their years of work  is gone and now they have to follow clues left by each other to reunite.





	1. Hydra Revealed

It had been planned for weeks.  Chloe knows this because that's exactly how long she'd been putting off going to the weapons seminar.  Driving out to the middle of nowhere to essentially just revieew tactics and have a game of paintball (albeit with the latest weapons) seemed like such a waste of time compared to her usual duties.  

Chloe's usual job entails her being part guardian angel and part social worker to gifted children SHIELD had identified.  It was a way of SHIELD keeping tabs on individuals without interfering in their everyday lives.  At the moment she had four children she was in charge of, all under the age of 15, and very much a full time job.  But to Chloe they were more than just names on folders.  They were little people whose lives Chloe tried to make easier.  For instance, in Jack Will's case, he showed potential in school, but maybe not public school.  So she had set him up with a scholarship to an elite school to help him thrive.  SHIELD's interest in him stemmed from his developing ability to move things with his mind.  At ten years old, it was still developing but was something to keep an eye on.  Then there was Mary Adler, a child math prodigy, who Chloe tried to balance out with advanced classes that met her skill level but also friends her own age.  

"You know there's a fine line between interest and stalking" teases Beca when Chloe pins yet another one of her kids hand drawn pictures to their fridge.  

As Chloe drives out to the training area, she wonders if her kids would all be good friends, not that she'd meddle or barring some disaster, that they had any reason to meet.  She's so deep in thought that she misses Aubrey's first call.  She has just parked her car and started towards the training facility when her phone begins to ring again.  Recognizing the ringtone as belonging to Mary Adler, she picks up immediately.  

"Mary?  What's wrong?" asks Chloe, her voice calm and soothing compared to the voice of a frightened ten year old coming over the speaker.  "Wait, what?  Who is there?" asks Chloe as panic rises in the young girl's voice. The most she can gather is that something is very wrong and that someone is trying to force their way into her home.  "We've prepared for something like this Mary, you know what to do.  I'll be there as soon as I can."  During the call Aubrey calls another two times but Chloe swipes it over to voice mail.  

Doubling back towards her car, Chloe is fishing her car keys from her pocket when someone calls out to her.  

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"  Suddenly two agents have her by her arms and are wrestling her to the ground.  Unsure what's going on, Chloe wonders briefly if this is part of a tactical simulation.  That's when she notices that neither of the agents are wearing any training gear or usual SHIELD sweats.  

"You secure her and I'll clear the area" orders one to the other.  The other one drags her to her feet.  Still confused, Chloe is trying to put pieces together in order to ask a question when she sees the first bodies.  Fellow agents gunned down.  It must be an attack of some sort.  AIM, she thinks.  Once the first agent of AIM is out of sight, she lets herself drop to her knees.  She has to act fast.  In this isolated position it was probably easy for AIM agents to pick them off and she knows that help won't be coming anytime soon so it's up to herself to get out of this mess.  The remaining AIM agent tries to haul her to her feet again but once he's bent over she headbutts him.  While he's dazed she frees herself from her wrist binds and kicks out at his knees.  Fumbling with his gun for a moment she fires.  The sound of the shot is still echoing when she sprints her way back towards her SUV.  

"HEY!  YOU THERE!!  STOP!"  comes a shout.  Recognizing the voice as the other agent from before, she doesn't hesitate to shoot.  Sharon Carter had been her shooting instructor so her aim lands true.  

Hearing the ringtone from beneath her car, she gets down on hands and knees to reach for it before it alerts anyone else of her presence.  She grabs her keys as well and unlocks the door as procedure goes through her head.  Pulling out she starts to think about what had happened.  Her phone rings Aubrey's _9 to 5_ ringtone, but Chloe ignores it.  This weapons seminar had been set up by Agent Sitwell, and she should alert him and a STRIKE team of the events.  Odds were that the AIM agents had escaped with new tech, so getting that back would be a priority.  But how had AIM found out?  Why strike out here in the middle of nowhere?  Well, for the tech obviously, but they had to know that they would be facing a small army of SHIELD agents when they arrived...  And then there was Mary Adler, she had to get to her and make sure she was okay.  And then- Oh my god!  Her phone was still ringing and it was driving her nuts.  She answers this time, Aubrey's sixth call, out of pure frustration.  

"I can't talk now Aubrey.  There was an AIM ambush at the seminar and I have to let the higher up know and then one of my kids is--"

"Chloe, shut up.  It's not AIM, it's HYDRA" interrupts Aubrey.  Aubrey was currently stationed somewhere overseas in the sand so Chloe wonders how she can be so sure.  

"What?  Like Red Skull HYDRA??  How do you know?"  

"Attacks are happening everywhere!  Apparently HYDRA has been setting up sleeper agents SHIELD for years.  God, I'm so glad you picked up, I thought you were dead!  They wiped out half our squadron but I'm okay and the few of us are going to hole up over here until we receive orders from someone we can trust that we can come home.  Until then stay safe" says AUbrey, her tone conveying relief but also urgency.  

"Wait!  What about my kids?  I can't just abandon them!  If this is HYDRA, they're targets too!" says Chloe as she floors the gas pedal, feeling more desperate to get to her kids.  She swipes at her phone and sends an evacuation notice to all her kids as Aubrey continues to talk.  

"You have to!  We don't know who to trust!  They could be a setup to get too you and all your kids."  

"So who are we waiting on orders from?  Fury?  Hill?  Who can we trust that still out here?" asks Chloe, trying to keep the rising panic out of her voice.  

"Well, I figure the girls are okay.  Bellas for life right?  Lilly is okay and so is Cynthia Rose.  I couldn't get a hold of anyone else" answers Aubrey.  

"And Beca?  What about Beca??" asks Chloe frantically, nearly overturning the car as she makes a sharp turn.  

"I-  I don't know Chloe.  I couldn't get ahold of her.  Chloe, she was at the HUB." says Aubrey.  

"I know where she works Aubrey!" snaps Chloe, battling the sinking feeling in her stomach.  

"I know you do.  I just heard it was bad there."  

"How bad?"

"Hand is gone.  She went down fighting though.  Chloe-"  

"No.  You know Becs, she'll get outta there fast" replies Chole, doing her best to believe her own words.  Beca had to be okay.  Bellas for life.  Chloe bit her lip as she continued to drive.  She used to think the same held for SHIELD.  

* * *

The gun shakes slightly in her hands.  Beca had shot him.  She'd shot Tom.  

It was hardly the first time she'd used her gun, but Tom was someone she-  She'd gone to the academy with him and then worked with him for two years at the HUB with him as her supervisor.  At the HUB, Beca uses her DJing skills to decode hidden signals and to encode signals to operatives that convey orders.  The HAIL HYDRA signal had been buried beneath levels upon levels of encryption.  Initially, the signal order had come across Tom's desk, but she'd taken it since he'd been away from his desk.  She figured he'd owe her one, which she'd cash in on the next time Chloe wanted her to leave work a bit early.  She hadn't even been really paying attention, used to just trying different algorithms and focusing on more than one transmission at once.  

Except that Tom had been acting weird all afternoon for some reason.  It all became clear after his lunch with Agent Sitwell.  The words HAIL HY- had begun to emerge and that's when terror struck.  Tom had lunged for her and only reflexively had Beca broken his nose.  Beca's not one for hugs much less any other human contact so the response to push him off and away had been instinctual.  That instinct had saved her life.  Now with one hand at his nose, Tom fumbled for his gun, but seeing this Beca had hers out within seconds and shot first.  The sound seemed so loud in their cramped back office.  

Now, surrounded by mixing equipment, relay devices, and computers, Beca now stares at the body of someone she had called not just a friend, but a close friend.  The screen now revealed the full message.  HAIL HYDRA.  Oh god.  Quickly, she pushes over a stack of CDs in an effort to reach her laptop and scan the other open channels.  All open channels were broadcasting distress signals.  That's when there was an explosion that seemed to shake the building.  HYDRA.  Beca quickly pulls out her bag and pulls out her headphones.  She plugs the cord into one of the building walkie talkies and has her laptop scan through incoming channels while she packs anything essential or high priority that she can get her hands on.  Most of it comes off Tom's desk.  She takes one last look around and then, gun drawn, peeks out into the hallway.  The bodies of colleagues line the hallways and there is distant gunfire.  She takes a deep breath and heads for the rear corridor.  

She's almost out when she encounters someone.  

"Hands up weapon down!" barks Victoria Hand.  

"Can't do that" responds the young DJ.  Beca takes in Victoria's blood stained suit.  Her mouth goes dry and she fumbles with how to explain what's happened, although she'd bet the Director of the HUB already knows.  

"What of the survivors?" barks Hand, and it throws Beca for a minute.  

"What?"  Her confusion must have shown on her face because Victoria Hand's face becomes almost gentle for a second.  

"Over channels.  How are the survivors doing, are there any" she asks gently.  Beca shakes her head clear.  

"Survivors are scattered and looking for orders but I'm afraid that by using open channels they'll let HYDRA know where they are.  Also the latest transmission is that Fury is dead and Hill can't be found.  So I guess I'm asking you for orders Ma'am" answers Beca.  

"Go.  Get somewhere safe and stay there.  Trust no one.  Monitor the private channels for orders.  Start with mine" says Victoria and then she's gone.  

Beca does her best to follow the orders to the letter, using the walkie talkie to monitor building channels.  Using the walkie talkie she's able to avoid HYDRA agents for the most part, however she does hear of Hand's fall not more than fifteen minutes later.  It comes after another building shaking explosion.  Beca thinks to herself that it would take nothing less than some super weapon to stop the HUB director and mentally applauds the fact that she went down fighting.  

She's scrolling through her phone when Jesse calls her and her ringtone goes off.  It immediately alerts two nearby HYDRA agents of her presence and they come out shooting.  One shoots the phone out of her hand and she scrambles after it before returning fire.  She narrowly escapes, shooting one in the shoulder and then chest and the other at point blank range.  The second one had been too close.  

* * *

Beca pushes her small VW as fast as it can go to get to the small apartment she shares with Chloe.  There she packs up her other laptop and a handful of clothes before going back downstairs towards the car.  She's halfway down the stairs when she realizes.  _Chloe._   She has to leave word for her somehow.  Going back upstairs she grabs a can of red spray paint from the utility closet as she heads back towards their apartment.  Once inside she removes the picture of her and Chloe from the wall as well as the one of the Bellas and sprays a red triangle.  Inside she tacks up a picture of Fat Amy and Bumper, as well as a postcards from Emily that says 'wish you were here' and a picture of the Barden sign.  Underneath she places a mixtape and three candles.  Hopefully it's enough for Chloe to understand.  It has to be.  Then she's gone, the door flying shut with a slam.  

 

 


	2. Geta

Beca's first move is to go to the storage unit she and Jesse share. Jesse had been her first partner at SHIELD and had wanted a contingency plan after the events in New York.

_What if something happens, Becs? I mean something that SHIELD can't handle? And don't say that can't happen! I mean, you saw! Aliens fell from a hole in the sky!_

So they had set up a fail safe, a getaway plan, just in case some other huge disaster happened or gods and aliens decided to make a reappearance. Which is good. Great even. Because this situation definitely qualifies. All except two little factors that neither she or Jesse had taken into account. The first being that Beca would want to flee with Chloe, not Jesse, who probably would want to take his current girlfriend and not his ex. The second problem she realizes as soon as she opens the storage unit and that's that Jesse would want to leave as soon as possible.

The storage unit that used to hold an Airstream, their Airstream, was now empty save for three large overstuffed duffles of what Beca assumed were her things. Well wasn't that decent of him. Grumbling, Beca grabs her things and loads them into her suddenly seeming clown-like small car, before heading off to the meeting place.  

* * *

Chloe floors it all the way to the strip mall where the arcade is.  Procedure dictates that she should take her charges to a pre-approved destination so that they can be properly evaluated and re-housed, except that procedure has gone out the window.  That and the fact that all her usual places are probably compromised.  

Chloe is circling the area while trying to think of someone she can trust.  Aubrey and most of the others are too spread out she still can't get a hold of Beca.  That thought makes her stomach clench but she takes a deep breath and tells herself not to count Beca out.  

If this were any other day, she'd be taking Jack Will for his evaluation at the nearby Army base ...Where he'd be checked in by....  That's it!  Chicago!  She needs to know how bad things have gotten and if the base hadn't fallen victim to HYDRA, they would be responding to SHIELD incidents.  Chloe skims her address book for Chicago's number as she makes one last pass around the complex.  

Thankfully, the rendezvous point is known only by her kids.  Chloe bites her lip as she hangs up from her call with Chicago, hoping that her trust is well placed.  She takes yet another deep breath before entering the arcade.  Opening the door, she waves to Wayne, the owner before spotting her kids at various games.  Jack Will and Mary Adler had arrived safely although Chloe can still see tear tracks on Mary's face.  In addition to them to them though are Max and Cody.  

Chloe knows all she sees are four amazing kids, but HYDRA would see four moldable assets with abilities that could be weaponized.  They would see Max as a strength powerhouse instead of a shy girl with partial deafness.  Cody is still traumatized by the effect his dreams and nightmares have on people, but that wouldn't matter.  Chloe is just thinking about how this might be the last time she sees these kids actually act like kids.  She massages the area above her nose as the fake gunfire on Cody's game begins to wear  on her.  

Suddenly, the doors behind her open up and Chloe spins around, hand on her gun, to see Chicago standing there in his fatigues.  

"Chloe!  Are you alright?" asks Chicago in one breath.  Then he sees Chloe with her hand on the butt of her gun.  His eyes dart over to Wayne, who is fingering something under the counter.  "Chloe?"  

"I'm taking a big risk trusting you right now and I hope I can trust you" starts Chloe as she slowly backs up.  The children were still all occupied with their games.  Chicago nods his understanding.  

"Yeah, it's crazy out there" he agrees.  

"Which is why I  need you to tell me what's going on.  You know what's going on at your base and that's as good a baseline as any for everything that's going on."  

"Fury is dead and so is Victoria Hand and we've lost the HUB.  Hill is MIA but so are Widow and Cap.  Rumor is Alexander Pierce is behind HYDRA.  Look, Chloe, I have orders to bring you in-"  

"You told them that you were coming to see me?!" gasps Chloe, her mind suddenly reeling with how to get them all out of there.  

"NO!  No, but I have orders to bring all SHIELD agents in" explains Chicago.  Chloe shakes her head.  

"No.  These kids have no one else.  You know what will happen if HYDRA gets their hands on them.  We're leaving.  I just wanted a lay of the situation before we left."  

"And you won't consider coming with me?" asks Chicago.  He knows the answer, but has to ask anyway.  But as expected, Chloe gives him a sad smile and shakes her head no.  "Then know they'll be after you.  Your kids were up in rotation for checks, which puts them at the top of the list.  I'll see what I can do to buy you some time, maybe erase you from the rota.  Bye Chloe" says Chicago, and then he's gone.  

"Should I be worried Agent Beale?" asks Wayne.  

"No, Wayne.  We'll be getting out of your hair now.  Thanks" she replies with a bright smile that covers her shaking nerves.  

Okay, so maybe the arcade isn't the most secretive place or the most secure, but she trusts Wayne and at least the kids are inconspicuous here. Cody is the first one to spot Chloe and once he does, so do the others. The games are abandoned and they all come clambering over.

"Chloe, what's going on? I thought we were only to come here in an emergency" asks Jack Will. Chloe looks at all the little faces turned towards her. She can still see the tear tracks on Mary's face.

"I'll explain in the car" says Chloe as she shepards them outside. Once they're all buckled in, Max taps Chloe's shoulder. Turning to face the small child, Chloe waits as Max signs out her question.

*Is that a gun?*

Chloe looks down at her sidearm, something the kids aren't used to seeing her with. Usually, it's just files and pens.

"Yes, but it's to protect you. Right now there's a lot of bad stuff going on, but I'm going to keep you safe."

This time when she pulls out, she's unsure of where to go until it hits her. Fat Amy. Changing direction, she heads down towards the industrial area near the docks.  

 


	3. Chapter 3

Fat Amy had been an agent for as long as most Bellas can remember, which is odd since she had gone through the SHIELD academy much like she had Barden University: Never seen in class but known by everyone. There were some who theorized that SHIELD had recruited her since her father Fergus was a well known arms dealer and enemy of SHIELD, but those close to her knew it was probably more along the lines of she needed something to do.

Fat Amy's place happened to be closest to their current location and Chloe needed a place to regroup. She was worried about Beca but that couldn't be her priority anymore now that she had the kids with her. Briefly fiddling with the radio, she finds that HYDRA's uprising is the talk of nearly every station. Quickly turning it back off, Chloe realizes that she'll have to ditch her vehicle. She tries a familiar number for the second time.

Entering Amy's waterfront loft, Chloe makes sure that all four kids are behind her. There's no telling what they could be walking into, knowing Fat Amy. Suddenly there's a yell? A scream? Some mixture of the two. Anyway, all of a sudden there's Fat Amy brandishing a flame thrower.

"AMY!!! IT'S ME!!!"

"Chloe? You should have warned me you were coming" says Amy as she extinguishes the flame. Chloe brings her hand down from around her eyes but keeps her other arm stretched out behind her, motioning for the kids to stay back.

"I did call ahead! Twice! You just didn't answer! How are you not swarming in HYDRA right now?"

"Well HYDRA wants Dad's cooperation after springing him free and attacking me would kinda ruin that. Plus you know me and HYDRA, I'd crush it. I just have to worry Dad but he's got other things on his mind right now" answers Amy with a shrug. "So what's the plan?" Chloe sighs and smiles, relieved to be sharing the load with someone now.

"I have to keep these kids safe but I also have to find out what happened to Beca" explains Chloe.

"Kids? These are like minor minors, Chloe" argues Amy. "Alright, so how are you going to get in touch with out favorite midgety munchkin?"

"I'm hoping she left something for me in our apartment, but I have to move fast" explains Chloe as she empties her bag onto the coffee table. She has her cell phone, the kid's files, and various bit of other things, like Beca's only set of wireless headphones.

"You should ditch those files and your car" says Amy as she picks up the files.

"My car?" asks Chloe. She's grown rather attached to the vehicle since it's large enough to accommodate all of Beca's stuff and still seat a decent amount of people.

"Okay, Field trip to Wal Mart! We need some new duds and a new ride!" announces Amy as she ushers the group towards door.

"So are you an agent too, Amy?" asks Mary.

"Of course she's an agent! She has a flame thrower" answers Cody.

"Uh, yes I'm a SHIELD agent but if you can prove you've wrestled two alligators simultaneously you can get the price knocked down some on the flamethrower" answers Amy. They all but streak down the highway to the store.

"So what are we getting?" asks Jack Will as he does his best to hold on to his seat. Amy driving was an experience.

"New clothes that will separate you from the inevitable amber alert that will follow" answers Amy, earning a look from Chloe.

"We just want a back pack and a fresh set of clothes for each of you" rephrases Chloe. The last thing she wants is four hyperactive and panicked kids running around the store. They emerge twenty minutes later then having to search for Fat Amy. Chloe ushers the children into the attached Subway restaurant for lunch while she goes out to find Fat Amy.

Finding Amy is a chore that one would not expect in a parking lot.

"Chloe! Over here!" stage whispers Amy. "Yeah, this one's perfect" she says slapping the side of a forest green soccer mom van. Oh look there's a stick person family on the back window.

"Amy, this is someone's car"

"Yeah and we need one. Plus I already peeked in the back. The mom packed snacks, so we're all set. Now we just have to get rid of yours."

"Get rid of--. Amy we just finished paying it off!" Too late though. Amy's already taken a swing with her tire iron to the driver's side window. It shatters in what would a spectacular fashion if it weren't Chloe's car.

"Okay, good job parking away from everyone else. That'll help isolate the fire" explains Amy.

"What fire-----EEP!" gasps Chloe as Amy ignites the leather interior ablaze. Well at least Chloe didn't have anything else in it. If Beca had been driving it, it would have all her gear in it--. Gear, they need gear before they leave. Oh right, she'd left that with the kids.

"Just let me grab the kids" sighs Chloe.

"That's not our car" is the first thing Max says.

"It is now, everyone get in, we have another stop to make" explains Chloe as she buckles them all in.

"Let's hit it already!" exclaims Fat Amy, having already parked herself behind the wheel. As they drive towards Chloe and Beca's apartment Chloe bites her lip as she tries to think through the next phase of things. The kids need somewhere safe to go, with someone that they can trust and at the moment she can't think of who that would be. Amy certainly had the means to provide a safe place for the time being but she couldn't bear leaving them. There were very few people these children trusted to begin with and she wouldn't betray their trust by just leaving them with someone. Heck the only Bella with any experience with kids was Stacie, and she was off in New York interning with the economist Sloane Sabbith. No, she'd have to bring them with her. That was just as risky as leaving them with Amy though. Chloe's job made her a target, sure, but Beca's high level clearance needed for intercepting and encoding messages meant that HYDRA was probably looking all over for her.

And all of this doesn't really matter because before she can think about sending the children away in the car at least while she visits the apartment, they've arrived.

"Okay junior agents! You know what this all about now? It's about taking chances, making mistakes, and getting messy!" Chloe cocks an eyebrow at Amy who seems to channeling Miss Frizzle at the moment before exiting the car. Making her way up the stairs, she draws her gun. Clearing the apartment brings her both a sense of relief and disappointment. The home is in it's usual state of havoc, but there is no sign of Beca. That's when she hears footsteps and whips around with her gun ready. That's when she sees Mary and Max looking at the red triangle on the wall.

"What are you all doing up here?" whisper hisses Chloe.

"Fat Amy said we're supposed to stick with you" explains Mary as she fingers the photo of Fat Amy and Bumper. "Who's this guy with Amy?"

"Can you put it back for a second?" Then Chloe takes in the whole scene with her phone. "These are two hour candles, and there are three of them. Which means wherever Beca is, she's only staying there for six hours..." mutters Chloe.

"Where is Barden University?" asks Cody.

"It's in Atlanta. Hold on guys I'm trying to think...Beca hasn't done this since we first started dating...." answers Chloe. She's just trying to figure out what Emily and Benji have to do with anything when Max tugs at the hem of her jacket and hands her the mixtape that Beca had left among the candles. Where did Fat Amy first meet Bumper that involved a mixtape? Hood night. The riff off! Which means....

"Everybody, we're going now" announces Chloe as she grabs a few of her things and stuffing them into a bag. She knew exactly where Beca was, it was now just a matter of getting to her while she was still there.

* * *

Beca has set herself up in an underground abandoned pool. It makes her think of the riff off and singing and when no one wanted to kill her. Simpler times. Now, she's setting up her equipment and relaying what messages she can on channels that have been proven to be secure. She'd heard the announcement that Cap was an enemy of SHIELD. She had picked her side. For better or worse she was siding with Captain America. Unfortunately that made her a bigger target, but she felt she was on the right side of things.

Chloe. She was so worried about Chloe. Hopefully she'd been clear enough with her clues as to where she was going... No, it was too late to start second guessing that. She hadn't used clues like that since Chloe had to re-qualify for her new clearance. One never really gets finished with exams it seems.

What would Chloe be doing? Well just this morning she had teased Chloe about not abducting children. Today was evaluation day for one of her kids. If Beca tries really hard, she remembers that Jack Will has the ability to create force fields and move things. Although, no matter powerful he was, no force powerful enough to stop Chloe when she had her mind set on something and that would probably be on keeping the boy safe.

She'd sent out a message a few hours ago to Hawkeye about the tracking device in the star on Cap's suit. She was pleased to hear the latest intel that Captain America had gotten away along with Widow and the others. Although that's the only good news she's gotten. So far she'd heard of various uprisings that had wiped out so many fellow agents. She'd sent a message out to Emily who was hunkered down with Benji and they were going to do their best to get to her. Thankfully, Benji was able to decrypt her code. She'd sent a remix of the song with the bass beat transmitting a morse code message. Most would be looking for a layered encryption. She'd sent that hours ago though and was now worrying about how Benji and Emily were going to get to her safely.


	4. Chapter 4

Emily is just returning surveillance equipment to the HUB labs for processing when the violence breaks out. She hears the sound of gunfire and loops the listening device pack around her neck. Drawing her weapon, she creeps down the corridor. She's almost made it to the lab room when two agents come from the opposite direction guns drawn and pointed right at her.

"Agent! Identify yourself!" Emily's doing her best to try to stammer out a reply when two shots are fired. Emily had frozen and shut her eyes at the sound of the first shot but seconds later realizes she hadn't been hit. Standing at the end of the corridor is Jared, Emily's SO ever since she graduated the academy. The other agents had been killed.

"Oh my god, Jared you've been shot!" gasps Emily as she rushes over to his side. He's bleeding from a bullet hole in his shoulder. Where Beca and Chloe had mentored her in all things music, Jared had taught her everything when it came to SHIELD and guided her on missions. "Jared, what is going on?"

"Traitors. They're everywhere. After seventy years, the true patriots have come to light." Emily shakes her head. Traitors to SHIELD? Whoa.

"So what do we do?"

"We clear the far. This will be your greatest mission yet."

Slowly they make their way back towards the labs. Inside the room they find three scientist who all scurry for various parts of the room but are put down with bullets to the back.

"Wait how do know who is who?" asks Emily, her gun drawn and ready, but still reluctant to shoot. This is different from any mission she'd ever been given and usually they don't kill everyone outright... Normally they'd be taken prisoner... everything about this makes her uneasy. Suddenly there's a rattle from the far side of the room. Jared makes it over in two strides and kicks over the stool. There in the corner is Benji.

Benji is a scientist. He works at research and development, a safe profession until just recently, where he used his flare for magic to create new devices. There should be no reason for him to remember much less use his weapons training. But now there's a war inside SHIELD and a gun pointed at his head. Emily's mind is spinning.

"WAIT! Wait! There's no way he's HYDRA" argues Emily as she steps in front of Benji. That's when she sees it. It's in the glint in Jared's eye. He's HYDRA.

"No, Jared- No!"

"SHIELD has fallen Emily. HAIL HYDRA! There are no prisoners with HYDRA. Just order. And order only comes with pain. You ready for yours?" asks Jared as he levels his gun at Emily.

From the floor comes a blast. An arc of energy, and then Jared is down. Emily just stares at the man who had been her mentor for the past three years. Suddenly there are footsteps coming down the hall. Victoria Hand comes into view and she takes in the scene in front of her. Emily once again finds herself trying to stammer out a response when Hand looks her directly in the eye.

"The worst thing you can do right now is underestimate HYDRA. They hide in plain sight; they earn our trust, our sympathy. They make us like them, and when you hesitate, they strike. If we're to survive, we must learn to strike first."

"What do you want us to do, Director Hand?" ask Emily as she hears Benji get up behind her.

"I need the two of you to get clear of here. Take what tech you can with you. Agent Applebaum, I want you to take what ever is most valuable for us, the equipment that we wouldn't want in HYDRA hands. I'd rather it be gone or destroyed than have it land in their hands, understood?"

"Director, I intercepted a message from Agent Michell. She's a safe place and relaying messages. Should we rendezvous with her?" asks Benji. Victoria nods and gives them a both a long look.

"Once that encoded transmission went out, everything changed. You understand that, don't you? We swore allegiance to each other. And today, that loyalty will be tested. If you waver you die." And with that last piece of advice, the Director is gone. The minute she's out of sight, Emily throws up.

"Oh god, what about the others? Aubrey? Ashley? Jessica? Cynthia Rose?"

"We can't worry about that now. You heard the director, here help me load the burn bag. We're taking as little as possible with us" explains Benji. He places his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we'll be okay as long as we do this together. I know the tech stuff, but I your help getting out of here and staying alive." Emily nods and swallows hard. She can do this. It takes them twenty minutes to get to a car after burning what tech they could leave behind.

"So what do we do? Disguises?" asks Benji.

"No, a wig and outfit attract attention. Dress like the people where you're going. We wanna go with sweatshirts, caps, glasses, that sort of thing. And try not to be self conscious, that draws attention too. No looking anyone in the eye and keep moving like you know where you're going." It makes her want to gag. It's exactly what they need to do, but the voice in her head that reminds her of every step is Jared's. She blows out a deep breath and proceeds to drive to where Benji tells her to go.

* * *

Beca knows the importance of the original transmission and had chosen her side. She was pretty sure every Bella was SHIELD through and through but there was that lingering fear. Not so much that they were HYDRA but what if they'd been surrounded by people who were? She's packing up her equipment when she hears the sounds of footsteps approaching. Gun ready she prepares for whatever comes down the hall. Luckily, she braced herself because whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't for Chloe to throw herself at her. However it's a familiar sensation and welcome break from everything that's been going on. Pulling Chloe closer she inhales her scent and buries her face in Chloe's neck, oblivious to the fact that Chloe is crying tears of relief. Chloe pulls her into a desperate kiss that lasts only seconds before their joined by Fat Amy and the kids.

"Okay, this scene is a bit too PG 13 for the young kids here you guys" announces Amy, but it doesn't matter, the couple is too wrapped up in each other. Chloe cups Beca's face and draws her thumbs down her cheeks, wanting to commit to memory every detail of the DJ's face. She'd been so afraid that she'd get there too late or Beca would be gone again before she had a chance to say all the things that seemed so important. The world was falling apart around them but as long as she had Beca she could find a way to go on. She loved her kids and her Bella family, but Beca was her heart. Beca's thoughts aren't working. She knows they need to get moving, now before they're found, but her arms and legs feel almost weighted down now that she's got Chloe again.

Then comes the sound of tactical boots. Beca's eyes pop open and the gun that had hung limply at her side is now outstretched and pointed towards the opposite tunnel.

"We have to move, now!" says Beca as she shoves Chloe back the way she came. "Go, I'm right behind you!" But Chloe doesn't let go, instead Chloe tightens her grip on Beca's hand and drags her along behind her. Getting into the mom van, they strap in as Fat Amy revs the engine to get them out of there. They're too out in the open and there's another STRIKE team bearing down on them. That's when a pick up rams it from the side. Beca spins in her seat to see who decided to help them only to see Benji bracing himself at the dashboard and Emily behind the wheel. The pick up continues to ram the other SUV until it flips onto it's side. Then the pick up backs up and follows after the mom van.

"A mom van? Really??" asks Beca as they zoom down the highway.

"Yeah well we had accommodate Chloe's lovely brood" chimes in Fat Amy. That's when Beca notices the four kids in the van, despite being seated next to one of them.

"Hi" says Max shyly.

"Hi" responds Beca awkwardly. She feels like she's part of a daycare program rather than on the run from HYDRA. That's when Rumlow is at the door, opening the side door gun at the ready. But Jack Will's hand goes out and a sort of blue energy comes out of it, propelling the HYDRA agent backwards.

"Floor it Amy!" yells Chloe.

And then their gone with Emily and Benji following behind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watching the BEFORE I WAKE trailer may help give a clearer picture of Cody's abilities
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TFc9pprTLE

They drive until the needle on the mom van was nearly on empty.  While they fill up, Chloe suggests that they lay low for a while.  They pull into a nondescript hotel on the edge of a small town and decide that that's a good a place as any.  It's decided that booking under one of Emily's aliases is best just in case Beca and Chloe's cards are being monitored.  Benji does his best to help out by buying the group pizza.  Once everyone is settled into adjoining rooms for the night, the questions start flooding out.  

"So what's this mean for us now?" asks Benji around a slice of pizza.  

"Well, you heard Captain America's speech.  HYDRA is everywhere and now they know we have four valuable assets in tow-"  

" _Kids_ " corrects Chloe and Beca nods in acknowledgement, because they are kids.  

"Captain America?  You know Captain America?" asks an excited Mary.  

"Someone is after us?  Why?  What's HYDRA?" asks Jack Will.  

"Who are all these people?" asks Cody.  

"Whoa!  Just whoa with all the questions for now" announces Beca as she rubs at her temples.  Chloe smirks at her and squeezes her shoulder before sitting on the large bed and patting it for the others to gather around.  

"Okay you guys, remember how I said I was going to keep you safe?  Well these are my friends and they're going to help me do that" starts Chloe.  

"Okay, but do you know Captain America??" asks Mary again.  It was going to be a long night.  

* * *

After eating and tucking in the kids for the night, everyone falls asleep with little difficulty. 

Beca takes a few moments to set up her mobile alert device from the van as well as a few precautionary devices around the doors just in case.  But then she settles in for the night curled up as the little spoon to Chloe's big spoon.  Beca's just so relieved that Chloe is alright and here in her arms that all it takes is listening to Chloe's heartbeat for a few minutes for her to fall asleep.  

It's some hours later that something eases Beca awake.  Instinctually, she tightens her arm around Chloe's and then relaxes as she realizes she's still there.  Then something shifts and she begins to feel uneasy for some reason.  That's when her eyes focus on the figure in the doorway to their room.  Brock Rumlow.  

Immediately, Beca springs into action, reaching for her gun as she wakes Chloe.  

"CHLOE, RUN!" yells Beca as she fires two shots at the looming figure, but he doesn't even flinch and comes right at her.  She goes to charge him, to buy time, but he sweeps her legs out from under her and suddenly she's pinned to the ground.  Rumlow then brings out his combat knife.  

"I'm going to enjoy this" he hisses as he brings his knife close to her face.  Beca bucks and squirms but can't move his weight off her back.  Frantically, Beca looks for CHloe, hoping she got away.  Instead of the room door open and vacant, she see Chloe there with her gun on the floor, trying to shake Cody awake.  

"Cody, Cody, you have to wake up now.  Wake up Cody, WAKE UP!" says Chloe as she tries to shake the boy awake.  The moment that Cody startles awake, the weight on Beca's back disappears just like the knife digging into the side of her face.  

"What the hell was that?" gasps Beca as soon as she's able to breathe again.  

"Cody had a nightmare about the STRIKE team attacking us" explains Chloe as she brushes the hair back from Cody's forehead.  Beca shakes her head clear, trying to get her bearings along with the fact that Chloe seems really calm right now.  

"He can make dreams come true sort of... It's complicated-" starts Chloe only to have Fat Amy burst through the adjoining door, gun ready.  

"Everything kosher in here?" asks Amy.

"Chloe is just explaining why Cody here doesn't come with a warning label!" says Beca, rubbing at the base of her throat. He'd felt so real, as had his knife. There's a shallow cut on her cheek that is bleeding slightly.

"Sounds interesting, explain..." prompts Amy, turning to look at the red head.

"When Cody dreams....sometimes they become real. He has dreams and sometimes and... and they're beautiful when they're good dreams. But the nightmares... the nightmares are deadly. And I can see how having Brock Rumlow attack our van would be enough to give anyone nightmares" explains Chloe as she continues to rub Cody's back. To his credit the boy looks ashamed and embarrassed.

"So what do we get when we have happy dreams?" sighs Beca as she feels the adrenaline begin to leave her system.

"Butterflies" murmurs Cody.  

"Butterflies" echoes Chloe as she looks over at Beca, who nods back at her.

"Great so now we have to battle not only the real but the imagined threats too" mutters Beca.

"Sorry" whispers Cody into Chloe's side.

"It's okay" whispers Chloe back to him. Beca watches as Chloe tucks Cody back in. "You're safe and Beca and I will keep that man and his team from getting to you, alright?" reassures Chloe. Beca smiles, where she is spent from the day, Chloe has another smile in her bag just for the little ones. Beca and Chloe watch until the little one is asleep and then Chloe stretches out next to her in the hotel bed again.

"So what do we do now?" asks Chloe as she stretches out the kinks in her neck.

"Well, I've got my mobile set up going and it'll let us know if they're coming, we just have to get the kids to somewhere, someone safe, and then see what we can do to help destroy HYDRA."

* * *

One room over, Fat Amy is fast asleep in one bed while Max and Mary share the other. The room next to that holds Jack Will, Emily, and Benji.

"So what happens now?" asks Benji.

"Well, I think Beca and Chloe know more about that than I do right now..." starts Emily. She's been having a rough time of things. She starts to say something to Benji but then thinks better of it and lays down on the bed.

"I keep hearing him in my head...." sighs Emily. Benji places an arm on her shoulder.

"You did what you had to do, he was talking nonsense--" starts Benji.

"No it's not that, I mean I know we lost him or whatever. Maybe he was always evil, I don't know. God, he shot people! The worst part is that now, as I do everything to keep them from finding us, I hear him giving me orders in my head. Like the rule of two."

"Rule of two?"

"It takes two sightings of a person to make a person remember you. God! I wish I could get his voice out of my head!" Emily sighs and sits up to look at Benji. "I don't know if I'm ready for all this."

Benji shrugs because, really, what else is there to do? He's a lab agent. He fiddles with current implements and tries to come up with new ones.

"Maybe you should talk to Beca... I'm not a field agent. I've never been here before, but I trust them. I think Beca said something about being in contact with Hawkeye, so that's something. But we're here and there's not a lot we can do now."

* * *

Beca and Chloe are still discussing the kids when there's a soft knock on the door. Beca gets up to answer the door, gun ready but relaxes when she sees Emily through the peep hole. She sighs and shakes her head, her equipment hadn't gone off and she doubts the STRIKE team would knock first.

"Hey Legacy. What can I do you for?" asks Beca as she tiredly wipes at her brow with the back of her hand.

"I don't know if I can do this-" starts Emily as she starts pacing on the small walkway outside the hotel rooms.

"Legacy, legacy-"

"I don't know if I can- I mean I don't think I'm ready for- I'm not-" Emily stops and starts a handful of times but just can't seem to get the words out. Thankfully, Beca seems to be able to sense the gist.

"Emily, honestly, none of us were ready for this. My mobile set up is just a default setting for me, Chloe will always put her kids first, and you did what you were supposed to, you followed your SO. It just turns out he was a HYDRA bastard. But it doesn't mean that everything you did isn't right. You came and backed up the good guys, and we're trying to figure out what the next step is. First will be getting the kids somewhere safe. But right now? I'm working with a team I can trust. Benji doesn't know much about the field but we can help him there and he can help us avoid the usual pitfalls of being on the run, at least from a tech point of view. I'm just waiting for a response back from my last transmission."

"Really? Who'd you send it to?" asks an eager Emily.

"A handful of people confirmed to still be allies by Hawkeye.  I don't know what else to tell you right now.  We'll see what the morning brings us, but we're doing the right thing, okay?" assures Beca.  Emily crosses her arms and hold herself tight as she nods.  It's the best answer she can hope for right now.  She retreats back to her room to get what sleep she can.  

 


End file.
